MAY 19 • 2022 | 105
in a laboratory. She is prepar-
ing her first article for publi-
cation in a scholarly journal.
Her quiet life seems in order,
until an intriguing stranger,
an American engineer, takes a
romantic interest in her.
CONNECTION TO HISTORY
The troubled political histo-
ry of Eastern Europe figures
in several of these stories,
most sharply in the story that
begins: “This morning, once
again, control of the city again
changed hands. One set of
occupiers retreated, another
took over, but it didn’t make
much of an impression. People
were used to such changes. In
a few days, the steel helmets
would surely return.”
Vilna indeed had changed
hands several times in
Blankshteyn’s lifetime. It
belonged to the Russian
empire in her youth and to
Germany during the Great
War. Right after the War, the
Soviet Union made it the
capital of the Lithuanian-
Byelorussian Soviet Socialist
Republic until Poland claimed
it. In 1922, Lithuania claimed
it again. Poland took it back
in 1922, although Lithuania
protested. Vilna experienced
uncertainty, fear and down-
ward mobility, along with ris-
ing antisemitism, even before
the coming catastrophe.
In one of these stories, a
soldier remains in Vilna as
his army retreats. He rents
a room. He tries to call as
little attention to himself as
possible, a blond non-Jew dis-
appearing among the Jews of
Vilna if he can. An officer in
the next invading army looks
for him, though. Escaping
from his room, the deserter
can find places to hide, but
no food or drink. When he
comes out of hiding, the Jews
give him food and drink, but
the army returns to kill him.
One young woman tries to
stand with him, but her father
restrains her, saving her life.
In another story, new
antisemitic decrees affect the
director of the largest local
sugar factory. He has achieved
a comfortable life, with a large
house, a wife and even a mis-
tress, and, most important to
him, a respected career. Then
the Germans come to enforce
Aryan control of businesses.
German soldiers round up
the Jewish employees and
arbitrarily shoot and kill two
of them. The director con-
templates his future in these
new circumstances, for the
Germans will not let him
continue in his post. Jews
have courage, he thinks, but
he wonders how much he
remains a Jew.
In the title story, “Fear,” a
businessman traveling by train
uses a 15-minute stopover
efficiently to get a quick bite.
When he mistakenly returns
to a different train — a sealed
train carrying prisoners — a
soldier nearly shoots him
to death. The businessman
realizes that a moment’s inat-
tention can end his seemingly
secure life, and he suddenly
understands the awesome
power of merely staying alive.
Blankshteyn presents sturdy
stories, built around strong
male and female characters
who seem real, who deal with
significant challenges as best
they can. Her stories (as they
appear in Norich’s translation)
seem plain and direct, art-
fully concealing their literary
sophistication. The author
adds just a few touches of
embellishment, describing,
for example, how the colors
of nature reflect the emotions
of her characters. One embel-
lishment concludes the story
“Colleague Sheyndele.”
Sheydele and her American
friend go for a walk when
he unexpectedly kisses her.
She is frightened but also
attracted. We do not learn
how their relationship ends,
but the story ends gracefully:
“Behind them, the light snow
covers their steps. In front of
them, the lights of the town
swim in yellow fog. From
above, the young crescent
moon bends down to the
ground, curious.”
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